I'm in love with Johnny. Please don't tell my husband. Or my four dogs. They're liable to get jealous, and for good reason. This is not a typical case of puppy fever. Few people can resist a cute puppy, and those who can are clearly evil. To my knowledge, not even evil puppy-haters can resist 14-week-old Johnny's charms.

He had a rougher start in life than most puppies. Johnny, his four siblings, and his mom, Violet, were found in an abandoned home in southern Louisiana this past June. No one knows for sure how or exactly when, but at some point during his first four weeks of life, Johnny’s back was broken. So was a rear leg. That was strike one. Strike two is that he’s a Pit Bull. ’Nuff said.

Who would take him in?

The rescue found a perfect match in foster mom Jessica Funderburk. She chronicles Johnny’s adventures on The Crooked Dog Blog, complete with heart-melting photos and videos. Her entire family loves Bullies; they have a beautiful, three-legged Pittie named Bella. Jessica was determined to give this little guy every opportunity to not only live, but to have a quality life. Husband Jason built him his first set of wheels. Seeing Johnny try them out for the first time is so uplifting you’ll either bawl your eyes out, stand and applaud wildly, or hug the animal (dog or human) closest to you.

Julia Kamysz Lane, owner of Spot On K9 Sports and contributing editor at The Bark, is the author of multiple New Orleans travel guides, including Frommer’sNew Orleans Day by Day (3rd Edition). Her work has also appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Poets and Writers and Publishers Weekly.